Brevard Zoo welcomes a new critically endangered Eastern Bongo Calf

The Eastern bongo herd at Melbourne's Brevard Zoo has grown yet again!

The Eastern bongo herd at Brevard Zoo has grown yet again! Eastern bongo Clover gave birth to a male calf overnight on Aug. 5. The calf is healthy and weighs 46 pounds.

This is the fifth bongo calf that the zoo has welcomed in the last 3 years – and Clover’s fourth calf with our adult male bongo Sebastian. This species is critically endangered due to habitat loss and poaching in their native range, so every birth is a safeguard against extinction. While every new baby at Brevard Zoo is special, this birth was particularly important because of this conservation status.

Brevard Zoo has quite a large herd now! The calf joins 2-year-old sister Ginger, 11-month-old brother Rio and 7-month-old half-sister Wubbie along with adult females Denver and Amara.

The calf sports a red coloring, just like his mom and sisters, for now. Male bongos usually darken to a brown hue. Both Eastern bongo sexes have horns, although it’ll take some time for the calf to start growing horns.

Clover and Sebastian were matched by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan, a program that pairs animals within AZA-accredited zoos to ensure healthy, genetically diverse populations. Clover’s genetics are well-represented with so many babies over the years, so this mama will be placed on birth control for now.

The Zoo’s Eastern bongos, along with other animal residents like the zoo's Ankole-Watusi cattle are visible from the Cape to Cairo Express train, which takes guests through their habitat. Clover and the new calf are currently living behind-the-scenes, but they’ll be potentially visible from the train soon.

For more info: https://brevardzoo.org.

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